


Failsafe

by inanismortem



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, alkdsfjalkj i dont really know how to tag stuff, theyre very soft for each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 16:13:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20428769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inanismortem/pseuds/inanismortem
Summary: A primal that wields both wind and fire.What an incredibly fragile thing.-In which Nezha deflects.





	Failsafe

**Author's Note:**

> this is for Katsu bc she's forever crying over how Cygames won't let Nezha out of his cage

“It’s a failsafe, Baal.”  _ For you _ . “If I ever go into a frenzy and nothing can stop me, I burn up. Less people get hurt and,” Nezha flashes his easy going smile, “I don’t hurt people again.”

Baal’s reaction is a knee jerk one, notes going off key and Hannibal dropping to the ground, ears flattened. 

“Failsafe…  _ Nezha— _ ”

Nezha laughs. He knows exactly what Baal will say next and it’s almost nostalgically endearing. He never thought he’d know Baal long enough to be like  _ this _ around him. Mortals would call them intimate but intimacy — what’s that? 

Supposedly meaningless to primals but Nezha thinks he likes it when it comes to Baal.

“—you don’t need a failsafe like that.”  _ You have me, I’m your failsafe  _ are words left unsaid but Nezha can hear them anyways. 

It’s amusing to how much Baal feels and how much weight he takes upon his shoulders even though he doesn’t need to. 

“No matter, it’s been there since I was created and backup is always good, is it not?” 

Baal does not reply and he’s gripping his guitar a bit too tightly, lips drawn into a thin line and of Nezha could say anything, he’d say Baal’s resonance is  _ off _ . Hannibal flickers in and out of existence, hinting at Baal’s distraught state and Nezha feels  _ bad  _ but—

“Baal, I am a wind primal and you are an earth primal. If I go on a rampage where your song cannot lull me back to sanity—“ Nezha reaches out for Baal, only for his hands to be slapped away. “—I will hurt you.”  _ I already have and next time, perhaps I’ll reduce you to your core state _ , he thinks darkly but he dares not voice that thought. 

He does not mean to insult Baal’s power but he knows Baal’s protective nature means he will not be thinking about his own safety when fighting against Nezha. And Nezha loves him too much to risk another injury that’ll scar Baal again. 

Baal is too caring for a being that is supposed to not understand emotions too much. Maybe in the beginning when they first met, Baal would stand more of a chance when he was still offstandish and somewhat mean towards Nezha. But Baal has a heart, or at least a much larger one than Nezha’s and it has grown to fit Nezha into it.

Nezha cares as well but he knows that his core instincts don’t make a good enough distinction between  _ love _ and  _ enemy _ when they take over. It’s happened before and Nezha wonders if Baal has really forgotten the few times Nezha has turned on him during a killing frenzy. 

Baal isn’t one to forget and Nezha thinks that he probably looks past the incidents — like he trusts Nezha to change or learn how to control himself. How quaint. Primals are primals and often remain steadfast in their ways, seldom changing because there is simply no reason to.

Baal stays silent and Nezha considers that this may not have been the best time to have the conversation of the purposes of his duel powers. And if not that, maybe it wasn't the best to be completely honest with Baal but he couldn’t have omitted something major like that.

“Do you promise at least, to never use it?”

“Baal,” Nezha laughs, stretching Baal’s name on his tongue, leaning forward to press a kiss to Baal’s forehead as Hannibal mewls tiredly, “I don’t make promises I can’t keep.” Hannibal paws at Nezha’s scarf before Nezha pulls away, bopping the cat gently on the head. “But I promise that I will do my best to not use it. Is that better?” 

Nezha suspects no, it’s not that much better but Baal nods anyways. They settle back under the trees and the tune Baal strums is much more melancholic than usual. Where Baal doesn’t express himself through words, his music is laced with his emotions and Nezha winces at the tinges of pain that float with the notes. 

“I just-”

“Nezha, you-”

They both start and stop at the same time, locking eyes with each other before Baal looks away, his fingers stilling. 

Nezha waits, Baal has something to say and he’ll say it eventually; he just needs to be patient.

“You’re the closest thing to family to me,” Baal says first, voice cracking towards the end of his sentence. Hannibal flickers again. “Please don’t burn yourself up for my sake, I can handle you at your worst.”

No, no he can’t and they both know that (Nezha’s been able to beat Baal without being at his worst) but Nezha’s not going to say that. Nezha smiles at him instead, closing the distance between them. He cradles Baal’s face with one hand, using the other to pat Hannibal.

_ Don’t leave me _ is what Baal probably means to say but Baal would never be so straightforward with his true feelings. Loneliness is maybe something Baal has come to fear after being in the company of others for so long. 

“Sleep with me,” Nezha offers, trying to change the topic and Baal chokes on air, eyes widening marginally, face flushing with pink while Hannibal phases in and out of reality again with strangled mews. Nezha sighs fondly at the reaction. Baal would have never had such a real reaction before; perhaps spending time with those skyfarers was truly worth it. 

“ _ Excuse m— _ ”

“Nap with me,” Nezha corrects himself quickly, realizing how his original statement sounded. “I didn’t realize your mind would be in the gutter, Baal~” The teasing comes almost naturally and Baal shrinks away with a glare, tugging Hannibal back. Hannibal’s paws pedal comically in the air as it hangs by the scruff of its neck before Baal returns it to his shoulder.

“Weren’t you,” Baal says hurriedly, “about to say something as well?”

Nezha was but—

“I forgot when you thought I was asking you to—”

“Shut. Up.” Baal summons his Spymurs and Nezha jumps back, laughing as he stays his tongue. It is always such  _ fun _ to spar with Baal but he is tired today and Baal looks halfway murderous. And as Baal squabbles with him, Nezha takes advantage of the fact that he no longer seems to be thinking about the failsafe and steers them to a safer topic. 

* * *

_ A primal that wields both wind and fire. _

_ What an incredibly fragile thing. _

_ After all, it would be so incredibly easy for it to burn up in its own flames, wouldn’t it be? _

_ No one really thinks about that until someone has to grasp at their floating ashes and grasp their core to their heart, begging for a rewind, a second chance to do better. Another chance to save the primal and not to be alone until the primal awakens again. _

* * *

_ “I promise I will do my best not to use it.” _

_ That, Baal reflects bitterly, was not a promise that meant he would never. _


End file.
